For Kids

STONES IN WATER, by Donna Jo Napoli. (Dutton, $14.99; young
adult.) War stories written for young people abound, but this novel
is a cut above most, focusing, as it does, on a little-known aspect of
World War II: the German kidnapping of Italian boys to use as slave
labor throughout Europe. Many of these youngsters ultimately died, but
some escaped and managed to find their way back to Italy, where they
often joined the partisans. This remarkable story is based on the
author's extensive research and the real-life wartime experiences of a
Venetian friend. On a beautiful day in Venice in 1942, Roberto, his
brother, Sergio, and two friends, Memo and Samuele, sneak off to the
cinema to see an American western. On the way, Sergio hides Samuele's
Star of David armband, which Jews at the time were required to wear.
Minutes into the movie, German soldiers rush the theater. They herd all
the boys to the railway station and force them into train cars. The
friends protect Samuele, giving him the more Italian sounding name
Enzo. When the train arrives in Munich, the Germans divide the captives
into work units. Sergio and Memo are separated and disappear, but
Roberto and Enzo are left together. They are sent to various work
camps, first to dig trenches and then to build airstrips in Germany and
the Ukraine. The living conditions are appalling, and the boys live in
constant fear of the brutal guards. What's more, they must protect
themselves from other captives who do almost anything for food and
clothing, including stripping the bodies of the dead and the living.
Napoli pulls no punches. She describes several graphic scenes of
violence that show the horror of the boys' ordeal. Through it all,
though, Roberto and Enzo remain fiercely loyal friends. After a
terrible tragedy, Roberto manages to escape. But this is hardly the end
of his troubles. On the journey home, he confronts wild animals,
hostile locals, and starvation. Napoli has written a haunting novel,
intense and gripping, with memorable characters whose friendship
transcends religion and war.

BROTHER RABBIT: A Cambodian Tale, by Minfong Ho and Saphan Ros,
with illustrations by Jennifer Hewitson. (Lothrop, $16; grades
K-4.) Brother Rabbit may be small and physically vulnerable, but he
is so clever and crafty that the world is virtually at his command.
When he wants to feast on rice seedlings in a field across the river,
he prevails upon an enormous crocodile to ferry him over. And when he
finds himself in a particularly sticky situation, he gets an elephant
to help him out. What's the secret to his persuasive powers? Some might
say smarts and ingenuity, but others would call it deceit and trickery.
When he desires some sweet, ripe bananas to round out his meal, for
example, he lies lifeless in the middle of the road as a woman
balancing a basketful on her head approaches. Taking the limp rabbit
for dead, the woman tosses him into the basket, intending to cook him
for dinner. This is just what Brother Rabbit is hoping for: He eats
every last banana and makes his escape. In an introductory note, the
authors explain why tales about small, quick-witted animals like
Brother Rabbit have always appealed to Cambodians. "In Cambodian
society," they write, "farmers and villagers saw themselves as small
and weak compared to the powerful landlords, soldiers, and kings above
them, and they reveled in stories in which the tables were turned and
the weak came out on top." In most children's stories these days,
wrongs are made right, good prevails, and the moral is written in bold
letters across the sky. In this story, however, the message is
refreshingly ambiguous. Ho and Ros remain true to their central
character's cheerful mischievousness right through to the end. Brother
Rabbit prevails with such aplomb and glee that we can't help but admire
his feats and derring-do--even if we can't always admire his
methods.

Noteworthy

THE SECRETS OF ANIMAL FLIGHT, by Nic Bishop. (Houghton Mifflin,
$14.95; grades 2-5.) Each two-page chapter of this beautifully
designed book describes a facet of flight in clear terms, with simple
black-and-white drawings and superb color photographs of insects,
birds, and bats. This is a must for school libraries and science
classrooms.

OVER THE TOP OF THE WORLD: Explorer Will Steger's Trek Across the
Arctic, by Will Steger and Jon Bowermaster. (Scholastic, $17.95; all
grades.) In 1994, Steger led an international team of four men, two
women, and 33 dogs across the Arctic--from Siberia to northern
Canada--by dogsled and "canoe-sled." This book is a record of that
arduous journey told through Steger's lively diary entries, informative
sidebars, and dramatic color photographs.

VERDI, by Janell Cannon. (Harcourt Brace, $16; grades K-4.)
As yellow as the sun, python hatchling Verdi lives on the wild side,
hoping he will never grow fat, lazy, and green like the elders he sees
lounging aimlessly in the trees. But try as he might--and he tries
pretty hard--he can't hold back nature. Cannon, author of the
award-winning Stellaluna, has written and painted a comic gem with a
message for children and adults alike: Just because you have to grow up
doesn't mean you have to grow boring.

SUN & SPOON, by Kevin Henkes. (Greenwillow, $15; grades
3-5.) Since the death of his beloved grandmother, Spoon has
secretly longed for a keepsake to remember her by. Careful to avoid his
nosy younger sister, he steals a cherished object only to be struck by
remorse when it is missed. But by the end, his grandfather has eased
his guilt, showing him that memories--and keepsakes--can be shared.

TWILIGHT IN GRACE FALLS, by Natalie Honeycutt. (Orchard Books,
$16.95; young adult.) The closing of the local lumber mill is a
disaster for the people of Grace Falls, especially for Dasie and her
family. Her father loses his job, her friends move away, and she must
come to terms with other dramatic changes in her life, including a
family tragedy. Honeycutt has written a realistic story about a
community in crisis and the importance of family solidarity.

ARCHITECTURE: The World's Greatest Buildings Explored and Explained,
by Neil Stevenson. (DK Publishing, $24.95; all grades.)
Sumptuously illustrated, this book showcases 50 of the world's greatest
buildings of all time. Each structure is featured on a double-page
spread that includes the building's history, a brief biography of the
architect, technical data, and glorious photographs, diagrams, and
drawings.

ALI: Child of the Desert, by Jonathan London, with illustrations
by Ted Lewin. (Lothrop, $16; grade K-3.) Crossing the Sahara for
the first time with his father and a herd of camels bound for market,
Ali and his trusty camel, Jabad, get separated from the others in a
blinding sandstorm. Wandering the desert, Ali finally meets an old
Berber herdsman who feeds and befriends the boy. Ali must decide
whether to wait in the desert for his father to find him or to
accompany the herdsman into the mountains, not knowing if he would ever
see his family again. It's a moving story about desert life,
illustrated in rich detail by Lewin's watercolors.

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